Healthcare Wednesday

Continued push for Congress to pass 9/11 compensation bill: Political and labor leaders will gather Wednesday near Ground Zero in New York City to urge Congress to take up legislation compensating first responders and survivors who suffered health troubles as a direct result of the attacks.

The bill would provide funds to monitor and treat those who were exposed to toxins after the attacks, as well as offering litigation protections to the City of New York.

Scheduled to attend are New York Reps. Charlie Rangel (D), Carolyn Maloney (D), Peter King (R) and Jerrold Nadler (D).

Joining the lawmakers will be representatives of the New York State AFL-CIO; the New York City Central Labor Council; the Uniformed Firefighters Association; the Uniformed Fire Officers Association; and survivors of the attacks.

XMRV workshop takes off: An international workshop to examine the little understood XMRV virus kicks of Wednesday in Washington. The virus — full name: Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus — has been linked to conditions as diverse as prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome.

NIH Director Francis Collins will launch the event with an address Wednesday afternoon.

BP helps fund NIH study of oil spill's aftermath: BP on Tuesday pledged $10 million toward a National Institutes of Health study into the potential health effects of the summer's Gulf oil tragedy.

"There is much still to be learned from this incident, and BP is providing this funding to NIH because it is well positioned to assure the quality and the integrity of the independent research process," Bob Dudley, head of BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization said in a statement. http://bit.ly/bozoVV

In Minnesota, a conservative governor asks for Medicaid help he recently opposed: Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) on Tuesday asked the Obama administration for about $263 million in emergency Medicaid and foster care funding approved by Congress last month as part of a $26 billion state aid package.

"Those programs reflect current and longstanding Minnesota policy objectives and initiatives," Pawlenty explained in a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, adding that his motivation is also "to protect Minnesota taxpayers."

That's a much different message than Pawlenty delivered last month after Congress passed the bill.

“The federal government should not deficit spend to bail out states and special interest groups," the 2012 presidential hopeful said at the time. "Minnesota balanced its budget without raising taxes and without relying on more federal money. The federal government’s reckless spending spree must come to an end." http://bit.ly/cwqP8m